School of Visual Arts (SVA) presents Critical Information, an interdisciplinary graduate student conference examining the contemporary dialogue between art, media, and society. Sponsored by the MFA Art Criticism and Writing Department at SVA, the Critical Information conference provides a critical forum for current scholarship exploring the juncture of media, theory, criticism, and the visual arts. Claire Bishop, Associate Professor in the PhD Program in Art History at CUNY Graduate Center, New York, will deliver the keynote address.

Bishop has written extensively on art, critical theory and performance. Her publications include “Installation Art: A Critical History” (Tate/Routledge, 2005) and “Artificial Hells: Participatory Art and the Politics of Spectatorship” (Verso, 2012), and the edited anthology “Participation” (2006). Her curatorial projects include the performance exhibition “Double Agent” at the ICA, London (2008) and the PRELUDE.11 performance festival at CUNY Graduate Center (2011). She is a regular contributor to Artforum.

The conference’s international roster of participants, representing a wide cross-section of disciplines, will present papers and projects on the following six panels: Revolution 101 / 2012; Still, Mediated and Moving – The Image Today and its Effects on Time and Space; Animism Anew: New Media & the Speaking Object; Handmade in an Information Age; The Writing On The Wall: Street Art, Hacktivism and Subversive Inspiration; and Algorithmic Thought and Memory. More information on the panels and papers, as well as the full schedule of events can be found at http://criticalinformationsva.com/2012-schedule.

The MFA Art Criticism and Writing Department at SVA offers a two-year course of study leading to an MFA degree. For students who want to improve their writing and advance their knowledge of contemporary art, theory, literature, and history, this concentrated program offers seminars by practicing critics, editors, philosophers, poets, and artists. The focus in writing is on the essay as form, as well as on shorter forms of review, through intensive writing practicums.http://artcriticism.sva.edu

School of Visual Arts (SVA) in New York City is an established leader and innovator in the education of artists. From its inception in 1947, the faculty has been comprised of professionals working in the arts and art-related fields. SVA provides an environment that nurtures creativity, inventiveness and experimentation, enabling students to develop a strong sense of identity and a clear direction of purpose. http://www.sva.edu/